a couple of problems for romney. one, the tendency of voters to be hesitant about a big change right before an election. they go back to what they've got. and also this sense of there's not a whole lot of movement any direction. >> and the other thing that's happened is that early voting really has taken on a life of its own and it's no longer just election day as "the new york times" said. it's election month. so a lot of people are voting now, even before the debates have tart -- started. that's number one. number two, the debates generally tend to confirm trends that exist, rather than create entirely new ones. that's why there's so much pressure on mitt romney to do something truly dramatic because he is going against the tide of history here. >> yeah, i mean, absolutely agree with howard. there's a lot of pressure right now on mitt romney but it also comes down to just an overall theme that we keep bringing up. that he's got to somehow convince americans that he can make their life better. and right now they don